Monday, December 09, 2013

My
last visit here in Balaw Balaw restaurant was in 2010, I was with the group of
travel bloggers in a tour and over night stay in Thunderbird Resorts Rizal, that
was my 1st time there in Rizal and I haven’t visited the place after three
years. But then another junket event took place in Antipolo and one of our
agenda is to eat our dinner here in Balaw Balaw restaurant, when I saw the name
of the resto being included in our itinerary, I got excited to join and through
out the trip, names of their food always come out from my mouth hahahaha. you
may read my 1st visit here in my old blog post at http://azraelsmerryland.blogspot.com/2010/10/enjoy-exotic-food-at-balaw-balaw.html

Here’s
the entrance of Balaw Balaw restaurant, I forgot that I’ve been here before
2010, that was around year 2003 when I always visit a girl here in Angono, Rizal
at night. I think my friend Josie is already in Japan today. But she’s the one
who told me to try eat exotic food here in Balaw Balaw, back then they serve
python meat in adobo and ihaw ihaw. But after some years, they started to ban
cooking pythons because we have a law now that protects endangered species.

Here’s
our uniform during our Cemex factory visit. That’s me and Ashley of www.theroguewriter.netAfter our
junket tour in Cemex, we went around in Antipolo City and then ate our dinner
here in Balaw Balaw restaurant.

Here’s the entrance and gate of Balaw Balaw restaurant, in my
2010 blog post, they don’t have yet that lovely wooden gate with metallic
leaves.

btw, this is an art gallery and restaurant founded by chef and
visual artist Perdigon Vocalan. He developed and invented these cuisines that
makes Balaw Balaw be popular of, balaw balaw is a term they used for "binurong
hipon" that they sell in a bottle.

the media team entering Balaw Balaw restaurant

The welcome sign in Balaw Balaw

I call that 3 feet wooden statue – Darth Vader
hahahahAlso they sell those paper mache statues, last 2010 they sell it at
Php250 and now 2013 they sell it at Php 380…whoaa for the price leap. I
requested for a discount but they told me that it’s the last price. I bought the
half body version to accompany the female statue that I bought from them last
2010.

Various
paper mache artworks are displayed here, they are one of the makers of those
“higantes” statue costume being worn by people during their annual Higantes
Festival. I also wish to attend it next time, everytime I organize a trip in
Angono, Rizal, I always get so many workload here at home.

“Higantes” are giant paper-mache endemic in the
history and culture of Angono. For adults, they symbolize the joy and festivity
especially when they are moving, swaying and dancing. For kids, however, they
solicit either amusement or fear during the “Higantes Festival” celebrated on
November 22-23 by the Municipality of Angono, Rizal, known as the Art Capital of
the Philippines.The festival is celebrated alongside the feast of St. Clement, Angono’s
patron saint of fishermen. This year, the activities feature tiangge, play, band
and rock concert, talent search, dance contest known as “Parehadora Festival,”
parade, and an art exhibit welcoming the centennial birth of National Artist for
Painting Carlos “Botong” Francisco in 2012.Local folklore reproduced in the research books of UP emeritus professor
Ligaya Tiamson-Rubin noted that the “Higante” was used as symbol of agrarian
protest during the waning years of Spanish colonialism.” --- from angonodreamnews.wordpress.com/2011/11/26/the-history-and-evolution-of-angono-rizals-higante/

Dining area for their restaurant / resin mold for their paper
mache costume

more artworks on display, I think some of it are for sale and
artworks of other artist here in Angono, RizalThe
landscape artwork inside Balaw Balaw restaurant, there’s a pond and a mini falls
with lots of wooden and rock statues.

Ok
time to eat!!! we saw this giant kawali near our restaurant, our event head
called the restaurant 30 minutes before we arrived, they reserved the table and
ordered the food for us a day before we landed here in Rizal.

It’s
a mixed seafood and meat in rice

here’s
another version of the rice kawali

Bulalo

Bulalo
soup yeah…they kinda separate the bulalo content and its soup

Fried
itik – one of the best seller here in Rizal.

Adobo
frog – we requested for a serving in our table hahaha, I requested for a yummy
adobo style

Fried
frogs – but the most yummiest of them all is the fried version.

Ashley’s
first time to eat a PALAKA ahhahahaha… I told her that it tastes like
chicken

ohh
Balaw Balaw, I wish I can visit you again next year, I have already my Rizal map
and I will include you in one of my blog projects to map around the best place
to visit and eat there in Rizal.

And
oh…before I leave Balaw Balaw restaurant, I must wear again this Dolphy higantes
mask for my instagram post hahahah.